JOHOR BARU: Pupils from a Tamil school here have made the country proud after bagging a gold medal in an international drama competition in China.
SJK (T) Masai drama teacher Dr R. Khasturi said the pupils also received the most impressive onstage performance award during the competition held in Shenzhen on Dec 8.
“The competition was initially conducted online.
“We submitted our video in April this year and were pleasantly surprised when we won the gold award and were then invited to perform at an international drama festival there.
“We were among 16 schools that performed in the festival and the only one from Malaysia,” she said.
Khasturi said 18 pupils from the school performed a drama titled The Princesses of Borneo which is based on the famous Sarawakian folktale about Puteri Santubong and Puteri Sejinjang.
“The performance was fully in English. We decided to go with this storyline as we want the world to also see other cultures from Malaysia.
“Our pupils have given their best, going for multiple practices several times a week since early this year to make the school proud.
“Their hard work paid off with a gold medal and a special award,” she said.
She added that pupils P. Bhargavi and T. Durga, who played the two main characters, also shared the “Best Actor” award for their performance on stage.
This was the second time the school had brought medals for the country.
In 2018, a separate group of 11 pupils took part in the Hong Kong international drama competition.
The school emerged third among over 40 participants.
“In the competition six years ago, they performed the Ramayana epic with a blend of Javanese elements.
“The pupils also received an award for best costume which was the first time the school took part in an international competition.
“Following the achievement, we aimed to get first place and it was fulfilled in the competition this year,” said Khasturi.
She said the support from the parents was overwhelming with some of them volunteering to design costumes, and arranging for food and transport, among others.
“It is not easy to bring students to another country.
“We could not have done it without the moral and financial support of the parents.
“We are also grateful to the school headmaster R. Rajeeswari and parent-teacher association chairperson K. Morilli for their encouragement.
“We hope to encourage other schools to take part in similar international competitions as a stepping stone to more achievements,” she said.
